Nuclear tests taking place anywhere in the world won’t be bringing us love and roses, but North Korea’s nuclear tests will bring us radiation leaks!
A large mountain in North Korea is the victim of nuclear tests, and it is now at the risk of collapsing that means radiation leaks for the surrounding areas including China.
North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test on Sunday, September 3 at the Punggye-ri test site in the northeast of North Korea, quite close to China’s border. The tested technology was probably a two-stage hydrogen bomb, and it is the fifth test to be conducted at this site.
The University of Science and Technology of China confirmed the location of the test using data from 112 earthquake centers in China. Scientists are quite sure that the test site was Punggye-Ri. Another tremor was heard after eight minutes, and the probable cause is the collapse of the test tunnel.
The university released a statement that read,
“The Earthquake Laboratory of China University of Science and Technology has accurately identified all DPRK’s nuclear test sites since it conducted its first test in October 2006, through its high-precision positioning system, revealing the geographical network of North Korea’s Punggye-ri nuclear explosion infrastructure.”
Wang Naiyan of the China Institute of Atomic Energy warned of a major environmental disaster if all the claims are true. The mountain below which the tests were conducted is at the serious risk of collapsing if the tests are continued. Thus, it exposes the surrounding areas to massive amounts of radiation, and that does not only include South Korea but China as well.
“We call it ‘taking the roof off. If the mountain collapses and the hole is exposed, it will let out many bad things,” says Naiyan.
The tremor produced by the test was measured to be 6.3 in magnitude, so the test does not sound as powerful as claimed by the North Korea. However, it is still much stronger than the tests conducted back in September 2016 that caused an M 5.3 tremor. In the February of last year, the nearby volcano Mount Paektu was considered at risks of eruption due to the nuclear tests. It continues to keep the scientists worried about the seismic activity in that area.
China is monitoring the radiation leaks closely, and fortunately, none have been found so far. North Korea needs to take serious precautions to protect the environment from its nuclear tests.
If no steps are taken now, we might be facing massive destruction!